


Of Scribbles and Scars

by xiaohaohao



Series: One Part of a Whole [1]
Category: K-pop, SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, also you don't necessarily end up with your soulmate just saying, dont worry the others will appear later in the series, take this however you want guys, vmin is mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-31 04:51:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8564725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xiaohaohao/pseuds/xiaohaohao
Summary: They say you and your soulmate have a special connection. For some, they see colour when they meet their significant other. For others, they end up craving the same things at the same time. Or maybe something simpler, like a countdown to they day they finally meet. What if you see cute doodles on your hand when you wake up in the middle of lesson? (I mean, how on earth could Minghao have drawn this WHILE HE WAS ASLEEP. And his deskmate definitely didn’t dare to do this to him or he’d “probably die in the hands of the (not really) cinnamon roll”). In which this pair has a one-way thing and Xu Minghao finds new doodles scrawled on his fingers daily.





	

**Author's Note:**

> crossposted on tumblr

_Soulmates are weird._ Minghao decided as he eyed the duo running down the hallway. He didn’t know them personally, but the two were known to be inseparable ever since they first met. Their relationship was completely platonic, though, or so they said. Jimin and Taehyung constantly complemented each other, but supposedly decided they didn’t feel romantically attached, as did many soulmates nowadays. The entire concept was slightly strange, since you didn’t necessarily end up with said soulmate, but had an undeniable bond that could never be severed.

 Every pair had a special connection. For some, they saw colour when they meet their other half. Or maybe something simpler, like a countdown to they day they finally meet. Minghao squinted, trying to decipher the words written on the back of his hand. It wasn’t his handwriting, that’s for sure. He had yet to find his soulmate, or a means to communicate with them. Minghao was certain his soulmate wouldn’t get his message even if he did write back. He was one of the rarer cases, when their soulmate “marks” didn’t match up. Or at least he hoped it was.

 For him, whatever his soulmate scribbled or doodled on their skin, appeared on his body as well. It was inconvenient at times, for sure. Like when he had that Calculus paper last week, and couldn’t wash off the foreign phrases on his arm (not that he even understood what they meant. Apparently it was a reminder to bring back those sweaty gym socks that his soulmate left in the locker for the past 2 months. _Gross._ ). He had to convince the invigilator that, no, he wasn’t planning on cheating, and no, he did not conspire with his soulmate whatsoever. Unfortunately for him, his invigilator was a prick and kicked him out of the exam hall.

 Minghao huffed slightly at the memory. Well, at least he didn’t have to suffer through calculus, but that also meant that his overall grade would drop. Maybe he could plead with his math teacher. She was nice enough and Minghao knew he could always pull off the puppy eyes and pout to convince her. Plus, old ladies were a sucker for that kind of stuff.

 His train of thought stopped when something hit him in the face.

 “Oh my god, I’m so sorry Hao! Are you okay?”

 “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine Seungcheol, don’t worry,” Minghao winced as he held his cheek. That was definitely going to leave a mark.

 Typical day in the life of Xu Minghao.

 His friend didn’t look convinced though, concern still etched on his features. Seungcheol was like the dad of his circle of friends. If he didn’t worry, well, it just _wouldn’t_ be Seungcheol.

 ---

 “Holy shit, dude, what happened to your face this time?” someone screamed. Minghao rolled his eyes, muttering a soft _Seungcheol_ before slumping down into his seat.

 That someone, would be Minghao’s self-proclaimed best friend, Kim Mingyu, his deskmate for two years and friend for three more. Mingyu was the first person he met when he first moved to this country. The teen was pretty much the same as he was back then - sharp canines, tanned skin and puppy-like nature. He was one of the best-looking guys in the school, with his jawline that could cut glass, tall stature and overall beauty and had at least half the school population lusting over him. Minghao always felt weird thinking about that. He was never much in comparison to his tall friend, occasionally described as cute (which, he reluctantly accepted as part of his fate ever since his Dance Club senior, Soonyoung, screamed it from across the hallway). He huffed as he heard one of his classmates coo at him as he (unintentionally) pouted at Mingyu again. The boy was unhelpfully taking a photo of Minghao’s bruised face to send to their chat group. Minghao rolled his eyes at this, reaching out to snatch the device from the other.

 “So, any updates on your soulmate, Gyu?” Minghao asked as he pocketed the said boy’s phone. Mingyu had the ability to see whatever his soulmate was seeing if he closed his eyes. If the two were physically close enough, he could hear his soulmate’s conversations too. It was pretty cool, really. Better than having some stupid one-way connection.

 “Nothing much. That pretty boy he’s always with copied his homework. Oh, also, he’s wearing that really nice black sweater. You know, the one that gives my soulmate sweater paws?” Mingyu answered, giggling when he mentioned the sweater paws. Minghao didn’t get how his friend still hadn’t attempted to find his soulmate was yet. _All in due time, Hao._ he had replied one day, _I just want to make sure I don’t get them wrong._ If it were him, he would just try and find whoever his soulmate was. Or maybe he wouldn’t. He didn’t know how it was like to have a secure connection to your soulmate, so he couldn’t say much.

\---

When the bell rang for break, Minghao and Mingyu filed their way out of their classroom. Chemistry lesson was a pain, especially with the introduction of Oxidation states that was to be tested in two week’s time. Minghao rubbed at his wrist, looking at the words scrawled at the back of his hand. Huh, that was new. The handwriting was nearly illegible, but he could still vaguely make out a crossed ‘d’ and a few other letters. He continued examining the writing, trusting Mingyu to lead them to their usual table where their friends would usually gather (except for Soonyoung. He loved to mingle, so he had other friends he would occasionally sit with when he wasn’t with them). Today, the table consisted of Seungcheol, Chan, Joshua, Seokmin, Mingyu and him.

 The first thing Joshua did as Minghao joined them was to pass him some (dubious-looking) ointment for his bruise. This happened on a regular basis. Minghao got into some sort of accident, Mingyu posts a photo in their group chat, and Joshua either manually puts the ointment on Minghao, or, if he was feeling a little less, well, _done_ with Minghao’s accident (especially when he knows someone from their group was _definitely_ the cause of it), Joshua would just pass it over to the boy. He smiled as a gesture of thanks. Really, it was great having Joshua looking out for them.

 After he inhaled his food (for such a skinny boy, he sure could eat), he went back to deciphering the words on his hand. It was a good fifteen minutes before he finally started making out something somewhat coherent. It said…

  _#dicksoutforharambe_

_rest in peace my furry brother_

 He stared at the words on his hand, not sure how to react to the overused meme. _What kind of soulmate?_ Disappointment clogged his mind as he slumped back against the table. His hope for a normal soulmate vanished, taking with it his energy. This discovery left him like a deflated balloon. Chan quirked an eyebrow at him as Minghao proceeded to slam his head on the table. The first person who says “dicks out for Harambe, rest in peace my furry brother” had better prepare themselves for a well-deserved slap in the face.

 It took him a moment to realise someone _had_ actually said those very words. He looked up, ready to give the person a piece of his mind. The sound of a slap echoed in the cafeteria, and the other boy clutched his cheek. “What the hell was that for?”

 Most of the cafeteria paid them no mind. Joshua, though, looked absolutely horrified as he watched Minghao wordlessly shove the smudged handwriting on his hand into the person’s face. The boy stared at it for a moment - then guffawed. Minghao stared in disbelief.

 “Look, I’m sorry man, but this is too funny! I don’t think I’m your soulmate, though, see?” he said, flashing his very much empty hands in front of Minghao. Before he could say anything, Joshua had already run up to the other boy and immediately apologised. Minghao felt the heat rise up to his cheeks - gosh, that was embarrassing.

\---

 Minghao was immediately forgiven, and Vernon, as the boy came to be known, had immediately become fast friends with the others. Apparently, he already knew Chan from one of his classes, and the youngest boy was glad of the fact that he finally had someone in the same year as him in the group. Minghao sighed again as he looked at his hand. He was pretty sure his soulmate had seen what just happened. Most of the school shared the same break time after all. They probably had a terrible impression of him now, not that they probably wouldn’t have before this. At times, he was pretty sure his soulmate just didn’t want to talk to him. He was just some kid in the school. He didn’t feel that he was that good-looking or worth talking to anyways. Heck, even Vernon had more personality than him, and they only just met a few minutes ago. He was just… plain, boring Minghao. He sighed again, putting his head in his hands as the bell signalling the end of break rang loud and clear.

\---

 Chan and Minghao were in the dance studio waiting for Soonyoung to come back from his classroom. They were choreographing a new dance for the upcoming competition that was a few months away. As one of the school’s main dance teams, it was their duty to choreograph and perform during competitions. Soonyoung had managed to get his soulmate to compose a new song specially for them, trying to make their team as unique as it could be. Minghao hadn’t met the guy, _Jihoon, or something?_ , but had great respect for them. Someone who could put up with the hyper fluffball that was their team leader definitely deserved an award. As Soonyoung ran back and turned on the dvd player, Minghao made his way to his position.

 “Alright from the very top. 5, 6, 7, 8!”

\---

 “Ow Mingyu why the hell?” Minghao screamed, tossing the basketball back at his friend. He just got hit in the face. Again. This was the second time this week, and he had just recovered from Seungcheol’s ball-in-the-face too. Seokmin was laughing at his friend’s fate by the sidelines as Minghao tackled Mingyu to the floor as payback. The other just screamed and flailed around in an attempt to get away from his attacker. After a few moments of struggling on both sides, both boys laid down on the court out of breath.

 “So, hey, any news on your soulmate yet, Hao?” Mingyu questioned after their breathing finally calmed down. He was already pushing himself up, making his way to the now-abandoned basketball in the center of the court. Minghao lifted his arm, only to see familiar characters being written on his wrist. He sat up. The words were in his native language. He squinted slightly. The writing was so much prettier and neater than the messy scrawl he always saw, but still undoubtedly belonged to his soulmate. As he read the Hanyu pinyin on the inside of his wrist, he realised these were all names. _Chinese names to be specific._ He quirked an eyebrow. What did his soulmate have to do with all these names? As his eyes skimmed down the list, one name stood out.

 It was his.

 “Mingyu!”

\---

 It had been a week since the incident occurred, and there hadn’t been any updates.

 Maybe his soulmate finally found him, but didn’t want to talk to him. _I mean, who would?_ Minghao mused. He knew he wasn’t as athletic as Seungcheol, or handsome like Mingyu, or endearing like Soonyoung. _There really isn’t anything special about me._ He picked at the end of his fraying yellow sweater. He was surrounded by wonderful people, and he knew that he definitely paled in comparison to his friends. Seokmin was a literal ball of sunshine, Joshua was an absolute gentleman and Chan was just… Chan, the adorkable, hardworking, sweet kid that everyone adored. Who was he, then? Just some confused Chinese kid who always got into accidents every other day. No one would ever look at him twice except to ask for his friends. Hell, he probably would have gone without having anyone in the school if not for being friends with Mingyu.

He smiled slightly. At times like this, he was really glad that the tall giant decided to stick around for so long.

  _Ring ring_

 Speaking of said giant, Mingyu was calling him on his phone. He answered, waiting for whatever it was that Mingyu had called about. Probably something dumb, like how spicy his curry should be today.

 “HOLY SHIT!” he winced, pulling the phone away from his ear.

 Okay. Minghao had not expected that.

 “Okay, I know you’re moping over your soulmate but listen to me, okay? My soulmate is freaking hot I am not able to deal-”

_Soulmate? Did he just say soulmate? Hold up. What in the world-_

 “- like okay I am so lucky he was actually fully-dressed when he was looking at the mirror but holy shit, Minghao! I’m freaking out right now. I hope you feel super honoured ‘cause you’re the first one I’m telling this to. Not even my mother knows,” Mingyu dramatically whispered the last bit, bringing out a laugh from Minghao. On one hand, he was extremely happy for his best friend. On the other, he was kind of jealous that Mingyu, of all people, managed to find his soulmate before Minghao did (not that he would ever admit it). He decided to go along with the former.

 It was a week later when Minghao finally met Mingyu’s soulmate, Jeon Wonwoo. Mingyu was ecstatic, happily introducing Minghao to his other half, while Wonwoo looked a little apathetic. Minghao later found out it was because, unfortunately, Wonwoo just had the resting face of a serial killer. (In Minghao’s defense, though, Wonwoo did look like an ‘emo’ kid with his long fringe and all-black ensemble, contrasting greatly with the puppy-like and energetic nature of his closest friend.) Mingyu then proceeded to drag a reluctant Wonwoo out of the cafeteria to his ‘super secret hiding spot’ (it was in the back of the school garden. Everybody knew that, but couldn’t be bothered to correct Mingyu). Minghao looked at his friends at the table, as they shrugged and continued eating. He watched the retreating figures for a little longer before continuing the home-cooked meal Mingyu had prepared for him today.

\---

 Minghao leant into Mingyu as they watched Finding Nemo on his laptop. They were both squeezed into Minghao’s bed, watching the film together like they did every week. Fridays with Mingyu always meant home-cooked meals and movies in bed. Minghao was scared that Mingyu finally finding his soulmate would change that. Fortunately, Mingyu still stuck to the same routine, telling Minghao not to worry over things like that since Mingyu would always stay by his side. He was grateful, really, since Mingyu had been his friend for the longest and knew everything about him. He was an important part of Minghao’s life and it would definitely hurt to have his closest friend leave him like that.

 The movie was slowly coming to an end. Mingyu was texting someone while Minghao went ahead and shut down his laptop, putting away the mugs that were previously filled with hot chocolate. When he returned, Mingyu was bouncing in his seat on the bed, eyes shining as he waved Minghao closer. Minghao was slightly weirded out, but followed suit anyways.

 “So, how’s the soulmate thing going? Any news?” Mingyu asked, patting the space beside him. Minghao frowned. He’d been trying to forget about it for some time now, why did Mingyu have to ask him about it? He was doing a really good job too. Looking at Mingyu, he knew something was up. The taller boy was never insensitive, rather, always looked out for everyone. He eyed the other boy suspiciously as he rolled up his sleeves. Mingyu was suppressing a smile as Minghao’s eyes widened.

 “I- How? What?” Minghao gawked. On his arm, was scribbled a note. One that was addressed directly to him. He looked up at his friend, disbelief clearly etched on his features . He couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. Mingyu giggled and gave Minghao two thumbs up.

  _Hi Minghao ^-^_

_This is your soulmate (I’m pretty sure you guessed that by now heh)._

_Meet me at Mingyu’s not-so-secret hideout tomorrow at break._

_See you then!_

_\- Wen Junhui_

\---

 “Okay but do you know how much concealer I’ve been having to use to cover up all those bruise marks?”

 “Oh shut up Junnie. It’s not like you’re any better!” Minghao retorted, rolling his eyes.

 It’s been two months since Minghao met his soulmate. He found out that his other half was a year older than him, also from China, but from a different province. The two clicked quite easily, unsurprisingly so. Turns out, Minghao’s soulmate and Mingyu’s soulmate were actually close friends. ( _“He was the pretty boy I kept talking about Hao. Seriously, though, he should stop copying Wonwoo’s stuff.” Mingyu had huffed._ ) Junhui’s friends became his friends, and Minghao’s friends became Junhui’s. It felt relieving to finally have finally found his soulmate, even if the other was a bit of an eccentric, clingy, narcissist.

 Currently, the duo was at the back of the garden, bickering over their soulmate marks as Wonwoo and Mingyu watched on from the sidelines.

 “Well Wonwoo, we can definitely say that this was a ‘mission accomplished’!” Mingyu perked up, smiling at his other half.

 “Um, I guess?”

 “What do you mean by you guess? Doesn’t if feel great that our best friends are finally together?” Mingyu pouted, nudging Wonwoo who was just eyeing the duo from the other end. Wonwoo just hummed in response, covering his eyes with his arm, head resting in Mingyu’s lap. He started nodding off, ignoring the cries of his best friend, Junhui, as Minghao tackled him for complimenting himself yet again. Mingyu’s laughter rang through the air as Junhui started making whining noises from underneath him. _Hm, yeah, this is kind of nice._ He mused, before falling asleep.


End file.
